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Tuesday, 3 December 2013

In the morning we did a canvas called Imagine and this was my version:

Oh my it was so scary when once we had put all the embellishments on Finn said "now we are going to paint it black" My jaw dropped I can tell you! We only painted half so that it graduated to light and then sprayed and painted over it. The end result though was fantastic, the picture doesn't really do it justice.

In the afternoon our second project was Everyday Treasures and there were more new techniques to learn.

This time I chose to use purple and gold, not my usual choice of colours but Finn inspires you to try different colours. This rocking horse is lovely and I have some ideas of using it in a slightly different way.

Monday, 2 December 2013

Good Morning everyone. Oh I have been such a bad blogger - but my excuse is that I have been so busy with my new craft ventures that blogging has taken a bit of a back seat.

However I had to tell you about the amazing weekend I have just had with Finnabair. That lady is so talented and I actually finished all my projects which is so surprising as I always have to finish off at home or maybe not and they end up in the UFO cupboard (unfinished objects!!) But she has a philosophy of not thinking about the composition and just go with gut instinct and pushes you along so much that you don't have time to faff.

The workshops were organised by the lovely Sharon & Jamie at Artist Trading Post in Derby and a great job they did too. There were about 30 ladies on both days and I was with my daughter Rachel and my friends Freema, Kay (of IndigoBlu) and Lou.

I have a sneaky preview for you. Kay had a little present for me:-

These new stamps are being launched on Create and Craft on Saturday, aren't they fab?

Also to go with them there is this:-

which are from IndigoBlu's Altered Ego mount board range. Perfect for those stamps!!

Back to the workshops. The first day was the Grungy Spell book and here are the front and back covers that I did:

Wow. So pleased, I have always admired Finn's work but didn't dream that I could produce anything anywhere near the same league. Shows you what a good teacher she is!!

We did both in the morning session and in the afternoon we did some journal pages.

This is me and my Dad on a trip to Bruges, oh he so enjoyed it there and was converted to Belgian beer!

Again this is my Dad the day of his 81st birthday, I took him out for a meal. Sadly this was his last birthday as he died the following year.

Well that's all for now but I will post another blog tomorrow of the other projects we did on Sunday.

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

The new challenge at Anything Goes is "Out with the Girls" and we would love to see your projects.

My teamies have created some lovely cards so please do pop over and have a look.

I apologise for the poor quality photo but hope you can see the detail. I chose a black and white theme as you can see , the black shiny card is some Kanban card I have had in my stash for forever and the white is centura pearl which I randomly stamped and embossed with creative expressions black aurora sparkle.

The stamps were freebies from don't know where! But they seemed to fit the bill. I decided to keep it simple and not colour the image just highlighted the flowers with a red promarker and added some red brads. The glittery spots on the ribbon looked to me as though they could be champagne bubbles? What do you think?

This challenge will run for 4 weeks and then hopefully we will return to our normal fortnighly challengs.

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Today we are launching our new challenge over at Anything Goes and this time it is By The Sea which is open to a lot of interpretation so please come and join in with us. The other DT girls have splashed out to produce some fabulous projects do pop over to cast a look!

The project I am sharing with you is one I did some time ago at a Paperartsy weekend in Warrington when I was lucky enough to have a workshop with the lovely, talented Lynne Perella herself.

Lynne provided us with the image - she is quite enigmatic don't you think? Rather like the Mona Lisa? After we had painted and stenciled the triptych with the gorgoeous Paperartsy paints I thought she looked rather like a mermaid especially with the wispy strands of died string and sequins around her head.

I had been to Largs in Scotland a few weeks before the workshop and had collected shells, small pieces of driftwood, feathers, dried seaweed and grasses as I had a project in mind to hang in our bathroom however I thought they would be ideal to use on this project to create an underwater scene.

I was really pleased with this project and it has pride of place on a shelf in my hallway.

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

I have been meaning to post this wall hanging on my blog for ages and having just seen Sue Carringtons wall hanging on the PaperArtsy blog gave me the impetus to finally show it.

The Artsycraft weekend which Sue referred to was held in Warrington and I too was lucky enough to be on it for all three days, sadly it was the very last one they did and in my opinion it was the best - the projects were amazing!

As Sue says one of the projects was a sewn book but I decided not to do it that way but make mine into a wall hanging - and here it is:

The most difficult thing for me was not to stitch in straight lines!! Here are close ups of each of the squares , not all of them were created in the workshop as I did more later because I wanted a big wall hanging to hang on the landing wall.

Paperartsy die cut dragonfly using waxy craft paper

Fabric stamping and coloured

Paperartsy die cut bird in acetate, stamped and coloured

Image stamped onto canvas. To the side are Belgian lace making spools.

This stamp is from Lynne Perella collection 008, stamped on fabric and coloured with inks

A Paperartsy die cut heart, appliqued in place with cotton wool inside to puff it out.
The stamp is from Paperartsy Hot Pick 118

This stamp is from a sheet of stamps featuring musical instruments which
I have had in my stash for years. Again stamped on fabric and coloured with inks

The stamp used here is from a sheet of stamps called
Across the Miles, another one I've had for years but don't know the company.

This was a transfer technique we did using the At home plate 1,
it was covered in netting and then using a soldering iron melted some of it away to outline the stamp.

As you can see I have used a lot of embellishments and lots of fabric flowers but this type of project is ideal for running riot with them. Some gold braid across the top and a couple of gold tassels and across the bottom some beaded ribbon oversewn with lace.

Thank you for visiting

I think I shall enter this into the Paperartsy challenge #3 - it would be rude not to don't you think?

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Well, its time for another challenge at Anything Goes, goodness where has the last two weeks gone to?

Our challenge this week is Coffee Break and/or Food and I decided to do another sewing project - afterall our sponsor the lovely Lynn at the Craft Den also stocks quilting fabrics and notions.

My little contribution this time is a coaster:

This was made using scraps of fabric in my stash. Just like in my papercrafting I keep even small pieces as they do eventually come in handy but more so with fabrics as they can be sewn together in a patchwork manner.

The pattern for this design was a freebie I downloaded from the internet but unfortunately can't remember where.

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Time for another challenge at Anything Goes which is Anything Goes, so come on and show us your crafty creations,

I used to be an avid dressmaker, making clothes for myself, my mum, daughter and ocassionally for others. However, when I returned to full time education I no longer had the time, study and looking after the kids was all consuming and the sewing machine was put at the back of the closet never to see light of day until......... I started papercrafting! Then it came out for machine stitching cards, mixed media projects etc.

Then I found patchwork and quilting! Wow! I so wanted to produce some of those fabulous tote bags and quilts - unfortunately time was a problem. Then at the end of March I reduced my hours at work to 3 days and my DH bought me an all singing all dancing quilting machine for my birthday! I was off on another craft!

But where are you going to sew DH asked? There's no room in your craft room! Well........ I will need a large table for cutting out (says I) sew (so) the dining table is ideal. Yes! You guessed it - the dining room is now my sewing room! I have even cleared out half the sideboard for my fabrics and notions. Problem is I already need the rest of it and I can't find room for the dishes elsewhere! LOL!

I needed to protect the table sew I made this mat to put the machine onto together with a pin cushion and bucket for the scraps.

I bought the fabric from the lovely Lynn at The Craft Den and it is called Sew Retro Montage by designer Makower and it is 100% cotton, 44" wide. Isn't it lovely? An ideal choice for this particular project don't you think?

The mat has been quilted using cotton batting and a matching blue fabric with a tiny design, all from the Craft Den. The pin cushion and bucket (gosh this is so useful at the side of the machine for all those bits of thread!) were made using the same fabrics and the pin cushion was filled with rice to provide weight. So pleased with this as it was only my second project!

My very first project was a craft bag which I made at a workshop with Lynn at The Craft Den. She runs a regular patchwork and sewing workshop one Saturday a month and she has a fantastic selection of fabrics. Lynn will sell you any length you want even down to a 2" strip!

Love the fabrics but it took me an age to decide which to use 'cos there was so much choice and I liked 'em all! Lynn does have a great selection and has recently expanded the range.

This bag is so useful for workshops as there are lots of pockets. I even took it on holiday to hold all those bits you need when sunbathing eg book, sunglasses, suncream etc etc.

Unfortunately The Craft Den website is undergoing a face lift at the moment but if there are any crafty goodies you need then do give Lynn a call at the shop 0114 234 0732.

Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Hello again, time for another challenge from Anything Goes which is Checks, Stripes and Flowers. I must admit this was one of those cards that sort of came together. I searched my stash for DPs which met the criteria and these two papers fitted the bill perfectly, the check is from the Protebello Road paper pack by Papermainia but the stripes not sure about as they were scraps.

The Poppy montage image is a Stampington wood mounted stamp I have had for quite a while but it is a lovely useful stamp. The sentiment is from the IndigoBlu set Wild Meadow. Both stamps were inked with crimson red versafine and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Monday, 17 June 2013

Hello bloggers. Another challenge from Anything Goes and this time its Buttons, Lace and Pearls.

I recently bought a stand with 3 glass jars from a flea market for two pounds! Bargain! I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

The stand and jar lids are all wooden so I painted them first with white gesso then with Paper Artsy Fresco paint Dolly Mix. Using various sewing stamps from Paper Artsy, IndigoBlu, Tim Holtz I randomly stamped tissue with various shades of lilac/purple inks. This was torn into pieces and using matte medium adhered to the stand and lids.When dried I applied a coat of gesso to tone it all down.

Lace was glued around the edges of the stand and lids and bows and pearls added to the lids. To decorate the ends of the stands, alterations mannequins dies were dressed using netting and ribbon and spools were wrapped with floss and to finish off die cut and punched buttons were added.

On the front of the stand grunge board letters were painted with Fresco Paint and decorated with buttons and bows.

Finally filled my jars with buttons and bows. What else?

It was so satisfying turning my bargain buy into something practical which now has pride of place on my windowsill.

Don't forget to visit the other DT divas and see their fab creations.

Also, Lynne at Craft Den stocks the stamps and paints so do visit her shop The Craft Den

Monday, 3 June 2013

Here we are again. Time for a new challenge at Anything Goes and as Father's Day is fast approaching it seems appropriate that should be the theme for our challenge.

I lost my lovely Dad suddenly two years ago. He was dependable, a constant in my life and my rock and I still miss him dreadfully. So Fathers Day has a twinge of sadness for me but I like to remember all the fun times and funny (often daft) things he used to say and do and wonder what he would say about things that have happened since.

Anyhoooo, enough of that. Here is my project for the challenge, though not a Fathers Day card it is a man's card which I think is acceptable under the circumstances don't you?

The backing paper is a TH but can't remember which one as it was detached from the pad. I used it 'cos it looked like billows of smoke which I thought appropriate! Using the Something Special steampunk stencils I created a 3d effect with moulding paste which when dry was inked with vintage photo and the edges were distressed.

I also used the TH set On the Railroad for the train, track, ticket and poster. The clock is an old graphicus stamp onto which I poured glossy accents and when dry, cracked it and rubbed on black soot for a distressed look.

All the materials used here are available at The Craft Den website. Hope you like it.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Hello again. Time for another challenge from Anything Goes! Oh my! Where does the time go?

Our challenge this week is Handmade Backgrounds! One of my favourite things to do. I find it far easier to coordinate card with ink rather than backing papers and more fun 'cos I'm a bit of a mucky pup and like to get all inky and messy!

Here is my contribution, a relatively quick and simple card to make.

I love distress inks and no matter which colours you use they all seem to go together even when you think they won't. The background was created on white card using rusty hinge, dried marigold and wild honey blended together with cut and dry foam. The meadow stamp from IndigoBlu's Nature 1 set was stamped along the bottom and the tree branches all around the other edges.

Another piece of card was coloured in the same way and stamped with the cowslip (at least I think that's what it is!) was stamped and embossed.. Some matting and layering, a sentiment, ribbon and a border made using a punch and job done. Easy Peasy!

On each of the design team blogs you will find a puzzle piece that has a picture of a well know crafting item. All you have to do is answer the question in a comment on each of their blogs. Hop back to the Anything Goes Challenge Blog and leave your birthday message in the comments box! Remember you must visit each of the design team and comment to be in the prize draw.

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

Good Morning everyone! The Anything Goes Bi-Weekly Challenge is Very Manly and we would love to see your project for the men in your lives.

My contribution is a card I made for my son's birthday. The phrases I have used are quite apt as sometimes he feels he lacks direction in his life although in my opinion he has made a pretty good job of things so far! I am very proud of him and love him to bits!

As you will no doubt notice I have made this card with all things Tim! The background was a case of me having lots of fun with an array of stencils, TH stamps and DIs (rusty hinge, aged mahogany, antique linen and vintage photo). I love this technique of building layers and the overall effect it produces. The edges of the card were distressed with my craft knife (this has become a common theme on my cards of late!).

The card was completed using alterations dies with cordinations card and a stamped ticket.

All the items used on my card are available from the Craft Den - who by the way are running some amazing workshops over the next couple of months with Hels, Jean Hardy, Andy Skinner and Kate Crane. Do pop over to their site for more info.

Well that's all from me for now. Can't believe we are almost into March and things still have not quietened down yet on the workfront but hopefully by the end of March...............

Friday, 1 February 2013

We have Hels Sheridan joining us at the next JoLLieStaMpeRs craft meeting to teach a workshop.

It is to be a two day workshop on Sat 23 & Sun 24 Feb and we will be decorating a configurations printers tray doing lots of melt pot, metal work, and getting very, very inky.

Unfortunately, one of our ladies has had to cancel so if there is anyone who would like to take her place who are in the Kingsway, Rochdale area it is only £75 for the two days and Hels will provide everything to complete the project. All you need to bring is your lunch!

Thursday, 31 January 2013

I have been a bad blogger for a while but unfortunately work and family demands sometimes have a tendency to take over!!

Today, I thought I would tell you about a crafting group I started last year. We call ourselves JoLLieStaMpeRs - each capital letter represents each of the original members of the group, Joan (me), Lou, Lisa, Sarah, Moira and Rachel. We have more ladies now and we meet about once a month to have a crafty play.

Each playday we set ourselves a project and it never ceases to amaze me that although we all start off with the same products all our projects are so different! One project we decided to do is based loosely on Studio 490 Art parts but we improvised using cardboard for the bases, cardboard tubes and cardboard tubs for the stands.

Here is my version, I call it Steampunk Carousel!

The tube, circles and tub were covered in some lovely papers kindly given to me by Sarah. I die cut some spellbinders and alterations cogs painted them firstly with black and then bronze eco friendly acrylic paints and before the bronze paint was dry I used the blunt end of a paint brush in a stabbing motion to give them a worn aged effect. To dull the bronze the cogs were swiped with black soot DI. The largest cog was glued to the top of the tub and the others around the base and onto the tube. A length of vintage tape measure ribbon was wound up the tube.

I stamped out the 3 mannequins from the Kanban Jasper set, two of Jasper and one of each of the female mannequins, twice onto card and then onto the backing papers and paper pieced them back and front then stuck them back to back with a wooden kebab stick down the middle and this was poked into the tub at the bottom. I used the fringe from a pound shop scarf to dangle around the mannequins.

I had a load of small chiffon strips I had also bought from my local £1 shop - I love poking around in there to find bits and pieces to add to my crafty stash. I cut lots of different size circles with my spellbinders dies (I found putting the chiffon between copy paper worked a treat for a cleaner cut). Using a candle I seared the edges of all the chiffon circles which is a technique Leandra and Lynn from Artsy Crafts showed us - they called them illegal flowers! It was a bit time consuming given the numbers of flowers I created but well worth it for the crinkly effect. These were layered up and sewn together with a brass button and glued around the base and the top.

The three alterations cogs were glued together with a clock face in the centre of the largest one on both sides, brass metal flowers were stuck to the smallest one . I think the Chocolate Baroque Steampunk stamp sets are fab and I used this hat stamp from the Steampunkery set to sit at the top of my carousel. It was stamped onto the same papers as used for the paper piecing and some stickles were dabbed onto the winsg. The brass wings were cut with the heart alterations die and then dry embossed for texture.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this project although I didn't finish it at our playday - too much chatting methinks! LOL!.

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

The new challenge over at Anything Goes this time around is Monochrome. My fellow Craft Den DT divas have come up trumps with some fab designs so please pop over to have a look.

My contribution is a B&W card which was a commissioned card for my son by my daughter for his birthday. He loves to play chess so this was a good choice, even the sentiment is appropriate as he is in the army!

All the stamps used on this card are from the Creative Expressions Vintage Games stamp plate. There is a chequered stamp which was used to create the chessboard, this was matted onto black card then a white 6x6 card .One set of chess pieces were stamped in black onto white card and the other set in white ink on black card, all were embossed with clear embossing powder. All the pieces were cut out and mounted with glue gel onto the chessboard. The sentiment was cut out with spellbinders labels four.

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Happy New Year to you all! This is my first blog this year - afraid I have been MIA since the holidays. So much going on, so much to do and not enough hours in the day!

Anyway, still busy but need to get back to my DT duties - also need to craft! I have been having withdrawal symptoms lol!

The new challenge at Anything Goes is Buttons and Bows and my contribution is the card I made for my gorgeous granddaughter for Christmas with this challenge in mind.

I love the Molly Bloom stamps for childrens cards and my granddaughter loves the idea that the character has the same name as her, she also has the same endearing smile!

The papers are all Molly Bloom papers as are the coordinating ribbons. The circle frame was made using spellbinders dies and this was mounted with 3d foam pads onto a circle of backing paper. I used Molly Bloom stamps: Angel Molly, the star and the cookie jar which were stamped onto card, coloured with promarkers,cut out and mounted with glue gel. The hearts were stamped onto another backing paper, cut out and mounted with 3d foam pads.

The oval frames and letters are Clarity stamps and they are fab for names, sentiments, greetings etc. These were also cut out and mounted with 3d foam pads. A big bow topped with a button to finish.

Please pop over to Anything Goes to see the fab designs from my fellow teamies - and we have quite a few newbies to the team!

About Me

I live in Todmorden, am married to Rob between us we have 5 kids and 7 gorgeous grandchildren under the age of six.
Through crafting I have met so many lovely people and made some great friends.
I love all kinds of crafting but mixed media, patchwork quilting and machine embroidery are my favourites.